As You Are
by CrazyOtaku13
Summary: Based off of an idea by Gumdramon. Loki and Natasha are married and after getting into a fight, Loki reverts into a Frost Giant and hits Natasha... One Shot. Loki x Natasha.


**A/N: This is based off of an idea by the awesome Gabumon Noodles. I really just wanted an excuse to write more BlackFrost...**

"Have you ever thought of what could have been? I mean…" Clint found himself struggling for the right words to say. He couldn't help but notice several couples around the outdoor café, as well as walking the streets. "You know…" He stared down at the ring around Natasha's ring finger.

"You're doing it again, Barton," Natasha warned him as she sat back in her chair.

He scratched the back of his head nervously. "But do you?" His eyes fixed upon hers. "Nat."

She sighed and pushed aside her half-finished coffee. "You know I care about you," she began quietly. "We've been partners for what, twelve years now?"

His eyes narrowed. "And you've only known _him_ for two. Been married for less than one," he irritably continued.

"Will you stop?" she growled. "I love him." She couldn't help but manage a small smile as she spoke.

Clint couldn't help but notice the way her eyes lit up whenever _he_ was brought up.

"Loki's my husband. Can't we just go back to the way we used to be? Partners. Friends… You've been acting weird around me ever since, you know…" she shrugged.

"I miss us," he admitted sadly. "You loved me, Nat. What happened?"

Natasha hated the awkwardness between them. This had been the first time in a while that she could see Clint outside of work and he was killing the mood. "Look, Clint." She reached across the table to touch his hand. "I do love you. You still mean a lot to me, and…" She was silenced as Clint abruptly stood up and leaned across the table to kiss her.

"Tell me you don't miss that?" he asked as their lips parted.

She lowered her eyes and shrugged.

A tall figure loomed over Natasha. "I believe it's time you leave now."

"Loki?" Natasha found herself off guard as she turned to face her husband.

"I've made dinner reservations. We mustn't be late now," he warned her.

"What?"

"Natasha." He shot her a cold look that made Natasha uneasy.

"Sorry, Clint." Natasha stood up and turned away, refusing to look her partner in the eyes. "Maybe next time." She briskly walked away with Loki at her side. The couple took a taxi back to their penthouse and remained quiet the whole drive.

"'Maybe next time?'" Loki scoffed the moment they walked through the door. He tore off his jacket and threw it onto the floor.

"I didn't mean it like that." She knelt down to pick up his jacket.

"You never answered him about the kiss," he icily remarked as he hovered over her.

"You walked in at a _very_ inconvenient time." She shoved the jacket against his chest before storming off.

A hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

"Look, he kissed me. It's nothing!" she snapped. "You have bad timing, is all."

"He's never attempted to kiss you before," he growled.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Wait. Were you following us?"

He released his grasp on her wrist and pretended to fumble with his tie. "I'm well aware of your relationship with him prior to our marriage."

"So you think I'm cheating on you? Loki, you're my husband!"

"One can never be too cautious."

"I love you!" she shouted at him. "Don't you trust your own wife?"

"I'm afraid it's your 'partner' that I fail to trust," he began. "I'm not fond of the way he looks at you…"

She folded her arms across her chest. "Let me guess, you stalk me while I'm working, too?"

A playful smile formed across his lips. "If I said yes, what does that say about you? The favoured spy," he jokingly added.

Natasha failed to see the humour. She stared at Loki with an annoyed expression.

The smile quickly fell. "If I asked if you enjoyed his kiss, what would you tell me?"

"He caught me off guard…"

"That's awfully rare for you," he noted.

"He isn't the only one surprising me," she retorted. "Glad to know you've been following us, sweetie!" she spat.

"I only did it because I love you, Natasha!" he shouted.

"Yeah? Well, if you really loved me, you'd trust me!" she scoffed.

"I don't want to lose you. Not to him."

"Loki!" She stared at him as though he was crazy. "I'm right here, aren't I? I'm not going anywhere, okay?" She rolled her eyes and muttered a swear in Russian. "Keep this up, though, and I might just have to leave," she added under her breath.

He grabbed her upper arm tightly. "What was that?" he hissed as he pulled her towards him.

"I was joking," she murmured as she attempted to pry his fingers off of her. "Let go of me."

"Why? So you can leave me for _him_?" His grip tightened.

"You're being ridiculous, Loki! Keep this up and I really might leave!" She looked away from his cold glare as she suddenly lost the feeling in her arm. Her eyes grew wide with fear as she noticed that Loki's hand had turned blue. "Loki," she gasped. Her eyes returned to his face and she could barely fight back a scream as she noticed the sudden blue tinge to his skin and the blood redness of his eyes.

Without realizing it, Loki had taken on his true Jotun form. He stared into her fear-stricken eyes and noticed that his rage had done this to him. "Leave," he said under his breath as he let her go.

Natasha ignored the stiffness of her arm. Right now, she was more concerned with this side of Loki she had never seen before. "Loki, what's happening?"

"I said leave!" he yelled as he turned on his heel. Having her see him in this state was too much for him to bear. How could she ever love him now that he had truly become this monster?

"No, Loki, let me help," she offered.

As she reached out to touch him, Loki whirled around and slapped her across the face. "I want you to _leave!_" he shouted.

There was a gruesome crack before Natasha was thrown against the floor.

"Natasha!" he cried in a panic as he fell to her side. His Jotun form faded and he reached out to touch her still form. "Natasha?" His slender fingers brushed away the hair from her face and neckline, revealing a patch of blue cracked ice across her cheekbone, as well as an unsettling bruise on her neck. He never meant to harm her-not at all! More than anything, he had been afraid of her seeing him so… inhuman. His anger had gotten the better of him and now look at what had become of his beloved wife. He could no longer hear her breathing and tears formed in his eyes. He pressed his palm against her cheek which emitted a faint glow. The light from his magic spread over her body and he felt relieved to see the pink return to her cheeks and hear her breathing. "Natasha, I'm so sorry…"

Slowly, her eyes opened to the sight of Loki. Even though he was his normal self, she couldn't help but cringe at the thought of those scarlet eyes and blue skin.

"Forgive me, Natasha," he breathed. A hand reached out to touch her and she flinched.

"Don't touch me," she coldly cautioned.

His hurt eyes met with hers. "Natasha…" His hand formed a fist at his side. Now look what he had done. His own wife was afraid of the monster, just as he was. "You saw my true form," he quietly began.

Natasha stared at him from beneath her long lashes. Loki had told her about his Frost Giant side. Seeing it in person, though, was completely different.

"Now that you know I'm a monster…" His head bowed in shame. "You best leave." Her arms wrapped around him, taking him by surprise.

"You scared me back there, Loki," she admitted as she stroked his hair.

"I'm a monster. I should scare you," he sulked.

She shook her head and forced Loki to look her in the eyes. "I don't think you're a monster, Loki," she said sternly.

Her words echoed in his mind for a moment. No one had ever said such a thing before. Not even Odin, his own 'father' bothered to say such a thing.

"Loki?"

The sound of his name and the warmth of her hand against his cheek brought him out of his thoughts. "How can you say that? After I was so cruel to you. I-I hit you." His hands began to shake.

"We had a fight. Couples do that. Look at Tony and Pepper," she mused.

"I killed you." His voice cracked as he admitted the truth. "You weren't breathing- I think I broke your neck."

Natasha felt her body tense up. She felt fine right now. She remembered Loki hitting her, but did he really _kill_ her? It was all a blur.

"You were dead, Natasha. Do you see what I'm capable of, now?" he darkly asked with tears in his eyes.

"I'm alive now," she quietly stated.

"My magic saved you. I would never forgive myself if it hadn't."

"Can we put this behind us?" The tension between them had become hard to bear. "We had a fight. End of story, so let's make up."

"And if this happens again?" The tears rolled down his face.

She forced a smile. "I've been up against Banner when he wasn't himself." She reached out to brush his tears away. "I don't mind seeing you for who you are. Just no hitting, okay?"

"If I ever try to harm you again, just kill me."

"How about I just shoot you?" she joked. "That won't hurt you too much, right?"

"Are you really not afraid of me?" he suddenly wondered.

"When you were yelling, yeah," she admitted. "The Jotun thing surprised me, but now that I know what you look like, I'm okay…"

He pulled her against him and held her tightly. "I don't deserve you, Natasha. You are far too good for me."

"We're married, so you're stuck with me," she reminded him with a laugh as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He flashed her a sly smirk. "I'm relieved to hear that." His lips pressed against hers. "You know," he whispered into her ear, "I recall Stark telling me that some of the best times within his chambers were after a fight."

She raised a brow. "I think we're in for a good time, then," she mused.


End file.
